Bright Morning Stars are Rising
by allegratree
Summary: Draco goes into hiding after the disasterous scene atop the astronomy tower. What will he decide? All suggestions welcome.
1. Night

Draco stumbled as Snape dragged him down a narrow alleyway. The muggle neighborhood was dark and eerie-looking to him as he tried desperately to keep his footing on the uneven pavement. It was a difficult task in that the only light came from the neon signs of the few seedy pubs that were still open and that Snape kept yanking him around by the arm and hissing at him to go faster. At one point, Draco tripped on a curb that was higher then he thought it should be and tumbled forward onto his knees.

"Get up!" Snape growled at him and jerked him up by his collar. Draco had had enough.

"Let go of me!" he bellowed and began to kick and punch at Snape, who took a step back. "We don't have time for this!" he whispered angrily.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" yelled a voice from a doorway a little ways down the alley. Draco looked up and saw a group of muggles that'd been coming out of the pub and seen them scuffling. One of them was hurrying toward them. Snape took advantage of the distraction and grabbed Draco again by the collar, dragging him around the corner and into a bus station. The station had very few occupants at this time of night. A college-age muggle girl was sitting on a bench listening to loud music on a headset, and a couple of homeless people were passed out in the corner. None of them took any notice as Snape dragged Draco toward the men's room and backed him against the wall.

"You had better listen well!" he hissed, "Right now everyone in the wizarding world is out looking for you and the ones who like you most want you to join your father in Azkaban. Do you understand?" Draco stared at him. He nodded slowly. "Get in there," Snape continued, gesturing toward the lavatory. "Transform your robes into muggle clothing, jeans or trousers and a shirt, clean yourself up, and get out here immediately." Draco went into the men's room, too tired to argue and glad to be rid of Snape if only a moment. After the evenings' events, he felt so numb that he barely reacted to the various insects that scattered away when he turned on the light switch, nor the reek of urine, nor the profanity smeared on the walls in some suspicious substance. He stared at the reflection in the mirror, not knowing what to think or feel. A pale, tear-streamed face stared back at him with no expression. He was dirty and exhausted. His mind was filled with darkness. He had no idea what Snape had planned, but after seeing what he had seen that night, he couldn't imagine there would ever be such a thing as tomorrow.

Draco emerged from the lavatory a few moments later, wearing a shirt and trousers. He looked at Snape blankly and said, "What do I do now?"

"Now, you run," he replied simply and hurried him to the curb where the girl was getting on the bus. Draco watched as the girl put a ticket into a machine beside the driver and chose a seat for herself. Snape pushed him forward and the driver didn't seem to notice them as they sat down as well. The bus pulled out of the station and back onto the streets. There were only two other passengers with them and Draco noticed that they both carried suitcases. Draco wondered where they were running to but he knew better then to ask. He was too tired to start an argument. He turned away from Snape and stared out the window, blindly watching the colored lights go by.

After a while, Draco noticed the lights becoming brighter and more numerous. Draco sat up in his seat and looked about, trying to figure out where they were. Suddenly, the bus pulled into a building full of people and lights. Snape motioned for them to get off and they stepped into a noisy, bright, stinky, and altogether strange space. People were rushing past them from every side, most of them burdened with some form of luggage. They walked though a set of automatic doors and found themselves in an even larger space filled with more people, more luggage, more noise, and various directions to chose from. The place reminded him of the muggle train station at King's Crossing, only it was much louder, larger, and busier. He wondered if they weren't at a larger train station, perhaps the main station in London. Snape was leading him through a maze of people and sure enough, he stopped in front of an electronic timetable with the names of several cities and the departure and arrival times.

"Are we leaving, England?" Draco asked Snape.

"Well, you are," he responded.

"By myself?" he asked incredulously.

"Indeed." Draco felt a pang of panic rise inside him.

"Where am I going, then?" he demanded.

"America," was the response.

"You can't get to America on a train, Proffessor," Draco said without thinking. Snape turned to him and looked at him as though he had clowns climbing out of his nostrils. "I know that, Mr. Malfoy," he responded at last, "That is why I've brought you to the airport." Snape motioned for Draco to follow him again as he lead through a maze of hallway, shops, and people. At one point, Snape stopped to grab a yellow pamphlet from a stand filled with various papers about things to see and do in London. Draco watched as Snape discretely pulled the tip of his wand through his robes and silently cast a spell on the paper. He led Draco up to a couple of sleepy-looking security guards who were checking people's luggage and tickets. Snape walked up to them without hesitation and showed one of the guards the yellow pamphlet. The guard stared at the pamphlet a moment and then waved them through. They hurried down a nearly- deserted hallway that was filled with rooms, surrounded by windows. Draco could see that the rooms were mostly all empty except for rows and rows of chairs. Snape stopped so abruptly that Draco almost went on without him. He pointed to a waiting room that had twenty or so muggles milling around in it.

"There's your gate," he told him. Draco felt suddenly very impertinent.

"I'm not getting on an airplane," he told Snape, "Airplanes are for muggles. I won't do it."

"Is that a fact?" Snape asked sarcastically. Draco nodded and folded his arms. He knew that he was of age now and Snape could not force him to get on an airplane to America. At least he thought that Snape couldn't force him. He was pretty sure that Snape couldn't force him. However, the next thing he knew, he was in the waiting room, his bottom adhered to one of the green, sticky seats, and Snape glowering over him in a highly menacing fashion. "Not only are you going to get on that airplane, you are going to fly in it to Saint Louis without calling attention to yourself. Then you are going to get off the plane and go to Morning Star, where they will take care of you until I can meet you there. You will not use your magic unless you are in an extreme emergency and if anyone causes you any trouble along the way, you will show them this paper. Do you understand?" Draco nodded in reply, though he really wanted punch Snape in his enormous nose. Snape grabbed Draco's hand and stuffed the yellow pamphlet into it. Draco looked at it. It said:

Happy China Restraunt!!

Delicious Chinese Cusine!!

Free delivery to Heathrow area hotels!!

Below that were translations in several languages. Elfish and Gobblygook weren't among them. Draco looked up to find that Snape was already making good time down the hallway. "Wonderful" he thought. He looked across the isle where a family of American muggle tourists were waiting. Most of them asleep in their chairs, leaning on each other like ferrets, but a teenage girl was staring at Draco.

"Dude, your dad is strict!" she whispered.

"He's my teacher," Draco responded.

"Oh, is he like your choir teacher or something?" Draco didn't know what she was talking about. He wanted to shout at her to shut up and leave him alone, but instead he just said, "yeah." This seemed to satisfy her because she didn't ask any more questions and she pulled out a small object with buttons on it that made a lot of noise. She stared at the object and pushed the buttons and forgot all about Draco. Draco sat back in his seat. A few moments later a short chuckle escaped him as he pictured Professor Snape leading a chorus of Hufflepuffs in an anthem, using his wand as a baton.

After a long wait, Draco was startled by a loud voice that came from nowhere saying that it was time to board rows 1 through 20. Draco looked at his hands. He realized the only thing he had was the Happy China pamphlet and it didn't say what row he should sit in. He went and got in line anyway. When it was his turn, Draco showed the man his pamphlet and the man nodded him through. Draco walked hesitantly though a strange tunnel and stepped into the airplane. He didn't like the look of it one bit. He didn't think he could stand being crammed into this tight space with all these horrible muggles for even one minute, much less the hours it would take to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Draco wondered how fast airplanes flew. He would have to ask someone, but first he had to figure out where he was going to sit. Most of the other passengers had found their seats already and there were many seats still available. Draco chose a row that no one else was sitting in and plopped down in the seat closest to the window. He was grateful that no one disputed his claim to the seat. Suddenly, he was startled yet again by a voice from nowhere. There was a long speech given, most of which Draco couldn't understand, and then finally the voice declared it was time to fly. The plane began to move and Draco tried not to look too nervous as it drove around on the ground for a while and then finally took off. He looked out over the wing as the plane rose higher and higher. He'd never been this high. Probably, if he tried to get even half as high on his broomstick he'd pass out and fall. His father had told him that muggle-borns often made this mistake and end up killing themselves. Draco felt a pang in his chest. He wondered if he would ever see his father alive again. He realized that he probably wouldn't and the darkness filled him again. He leant against the window pane and looked out over the wing. They were over the ocean now and night spread out before him in every direction. He fell asleep, quite certain that there would never be a morning.


	2. Lost

After eight hours of jerking around in cramped quarters, annoying fellow passengers, and the strangest substances that Draco had even seen referred to as 'food', he was finally allowed to stumble off the airplane. In a way, he was excited because he had never really traveled by himself before. Of course, he couldn't be too eager since the only things he had to his name were the clothes on his back, his wand, and a menu for a Chinese restaurant that most likely didn't make trans-Atlantic deliveries. Even if they did, he didn't have any money with him, in gold or dollars. He also didn't know where he was going or how he was to get there. Snape had said to go to Morning Star but Draco didn't even know what that was. He wondered if a muggle would know if he asked one. He decided against it. It was most likely a wizarding place if Snape expected him to wait there for a long period of time. At least, Draco hoped it was a wizarding place. He had had his fill of American muggles on the airplane.

Draco followed the crowd through the terminal to another security check. He had his yellow pamphlet ready, but no one asked to see it. The guards simply watched them as they exited and hassled a few people about their bags. A little ways down the hall, Draco encountered a second official behind a little desk. "Passport, please," said the short, stocky woman in a nasal voice. Draco handed her the Happy China pamphlet. She stared at it, then handed it back to him. "Any firearms, explosives, knives, or other weapons?" Draco blinked. He looked down at his empty hands.

"No," he replied.

"Any narcotics, pharmaceuticals, food products, or native plants?"

"What? I haven't got anything with me!" It was all he could do to keep from adding a nasty name onto the end of that statement.

"Welcome to Saint Louis," she continued in a nasal monotone, "You may retrieve your checked baggage at the carousel at the bottom of the stairs." Draco rolled his eyes and continued through the check point and down the stairs. The family he had seen in the waiting room in London was already standing at the baggage carousel. The two youngest children were running around, looking at every bag and shouting out the names on the tags. Their mother looked on with a proud expression at what good helpers she had raised. Draco was just walking past them when he heard one of the children scream, "Draco Malfoy!"

He stopped and turned. He hadn't checked any baggage. Why would there be a bag with his name on it? He went back to the carousel and examined the luggage as it came by. He noticed a large backpack that did indeed have his name on it. It also had a piece of paper folded up and safety-pinned to the front. Draco hauled the bag off the carousel and unpinned the paper. It was a note:

Malfoy,

Here are some things that you might need. Go to Morning Star and tell Whitewolf that I sent you. He will know what to do. Wait there until I can come to fetch you. Until then, don't worry and try to enjoy the summer.

Snape

Draco snorted as he read the last part. _Enjoy the summer?_ he thought incredulously, _Sure, that's likely to happen! And how long does he expect me to stay here?_ He folded up the paper again and opened the top of the bad. Inside, he was pleased to find an envelope filled with American money. _Good!_ He thought as he shouldered the bag and headed toward the outside door, _Now at least I can get something to eat. _

Suddenly, a tall black woman came prancing toward him, "Hey kid, you needa ride?" she asked in a loud voice, "I got me a cab outside, you needa ride to the hotel?"

"Well…" Draco started.

"Where you headed kid? I get you dere at two-dollah a mile and you cain't git no bettah deal den dat! Where you goin, baby?"

"I'm trying to get to Morning Star," Draco told her.

"Morning Star? Dat the name of the hotel?"

"I don't know what it is," he admitted sheepishly.

"Well, where's it at? City? County? I'll call it in and find out what it is."

"I don't know where it is," Draco responded, feeling more and more ridiculous.

"Lord! You don't know what it is or where it's at? How you sposed to git dere, huh?" Draco shrugged his shoulders.

"Boy, you in trouble. You runnin away or sumthin?" He shook his head.

"I just need to find Morning Star."

"Well I tell you what! You change your mind, Ima be over dere at the cab stand. You come over fore I git someone else, I take you to a nice hotel. Gotta swimmin pool and a Jacuzzi. Take you daddy credit card, no questions, you know? Jus let me know, okay baby?" Draco nodded and went out through the automatic doors.

Outside, he was greeted by bumper to bumper cars, hot, muggy air, and a pitch black sky.

"How is it still night time!" he cried. Some muggles gave him a strange look. He had been on a plane for eight hours, surely the sun would have come up by now! He looked around desperately for a clock. There was a red, digital clock over the door that read 3:52 AM. Draco glared at it hatefully. It was the time difference that did it. It had been eight hours on the plane, but because of the time difference he'd gained six hours.

He looked back at the rows of cars in front of him. He got the idea that he should go to the cab drivers hotel and worry about finding Morning Star tomorrow afternoon. He was about to head back in to the cab stand to see if she was still there when something very strange caught his eye.

The traffic was mostly stopped in the driveway but something was slowly making its way toward him. As it came closer, Draco saw that it was an old-fashioned street car. The thing that was strange about it was it seemed to be made of eerie green fog. As it came closer and closer it seemed to go right through the cars and the people without them even noticing. The streetcar crept closer and closer and finally came to a stop right in front of Draco. The car was decorated in rod iron bears and fleur-de-lys. On the side was a wooden panel which was painted with the words, "Saint Louis Municipal Trolley Company.

"All aboard!" cried the ghostly Irish motorman. Draco looked around. The people didn't seem to notice anything and no one was getting aboard. Draco took this as a good sign. The motorman rang the bell.

"Excuse me," Draco asked the motorman, "Does this trolley go to Morning Star?" The motorman didn't seem to notice him. "All aboard!" he cried again, "Next stop, Belle Fontaine!"

"Sir," Draco cried a little louder, "Do you go to Morning Star?" The motorman didn't seem to see or hear him. The muggles, however, were all staring at him with great amusement.

"Last call, all aboard!" the motorman hollered and he rang the bell again loudly. Draco didn't know what to do. The streetcar began to pull forward and Draco grabbed at the misty rod iron. To his surprise, it felt firm in his hand and he pulled himself onboard. Suddenly, the trolley was solid, the woodwork was painted bright red, the gas lights burned brightly, and the rod iron fleur-de-lys were polished and shinning. The motorman looked at him through his spectacles and said in a friendly voice, "Well there you are! I was wondering what was taking so long! Have a seat!"

Draco plopped himself down on the bright leather seats and watched the muggle world go by in a hazy grey fog. For the moment, he was quite content.

"At last!" he whispered to himself, "Something normal!"


	3. Jay and Glasses

"We are so completely screwed!" exclaimed a voice from behind Draco.

"You mean I am so completely screwed!" another voice corrected, "This is your first demerit since kindergarten. Even if your parents do find out, they'd probably throw you a party!"

"I somehow doubt it, man," said the first voice.

"I, on the other hand, am one strike away from losing my boarding privileges and then where am I? Back to muggleland!" Draco turned slowly to get a glimpse of the speakers. They were two boys who looked about Draco's age. One of the boys, the one concerned about being thrown out of somewhere, had longish, dark-brown hair, dark eyes, pierced ears, and a small tattoo of a snake peaking out the side of his collar. The other boy had curly brown hair enormous eyes and a comparatively clean-cut appearance.

"Aw, man! Can they really kick you out? Just for being late?" asked the curly-haired kid.

"Yeah! Dutton told me that if I came in past curfew one more time I better get used to the cheese bus and my mother's cooking cause my butt will be out for good!"

"Aw, man!" said the curly kid again.

"I know it! And I don't think Raven is too happy with me either. If he hears about it I don't think it's gonna take much for him to drop me out of his studio and then I may as well give up and go work at Burger King cause he's the only one who thinks I can do anything."

"No way Raven will drop you! You've been in his studio since the 7th grade!"

"Yeah well, like I said, I ain't exactly his favorite person right now."

"Well tomorrow we leave for the summer camp so what can they do to us? If my mom finds out then I'll have to send her my sorry note from there." The boys had a laugh about that for a minute.

"Hey!" the curly haired kid said suddenly, "Check out that kid looking at us!" Draco froze.

"Hey, kid! Whatcha staring at?" he hollered at Draco. Draco didn't say anything and the two boys looked at each other. The curly-haired kids whispered something to the other kid and then the other kids said, "Hey, kid come here!" Draco got up and pulled out his wand. He walked over to the other boys and sat down, trying to look smug and tough.

"Put that up," said the dark-haired boy, "We ain't gonna curse you." Draco set his wand down beside him, but within arm's reach.

"Hey, what're you doing over there? Eavesdropping on us?"

"No," Draco responded, "That is, I heard you, but I don't really care about your business. I was wondering if you know where Morning Star is." The boys looked at each other.

"We ain't in Morning Star!" said the curly-haired kid.

"Yeah, I'm lucky to be in high school!" exclaimed the other.

"I didn't say you were. I just asked if you knew where it was." The boys looked at each other again.

"What's your name, anyway?" asked the dark-haired kid. Draco was loosing his patience.

"Malfoy," he told them.

"Malfoy, what?" they asked together.

"Draco Malfoy. Do you know where it is or not?"

"Yeah…but. Are you from England or something?" asked the curly-haired kid.

"Yes, I'm from England!" Draco shouted. He was becoming frustrated. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

The boys looked at each other again, clearly uncertain. "You aren't a muggle are you?" asked the dark-haired kid. That did it.  
"What!?" Draco screamed as he grabbed for his wand. He was about to show them both whether he was a muggle or not when the motorman turned around and yelled,

"Hey, you punks knock it off back there or you're gonna be walking home! I mean it! Put those things away or your gonna be pulling them out of each others backsides! Geez! What am I a baby-sitter or something?"

"Sorry, man, sorry!" yelled the curly-haired kid, "We'll stop." Then to Draco he whispered, "Whoa there tiger, chill! He didn't mean anything!"

"Well the very idea…"

"Geez, guy, cool it down! I mean, who asks a question like that? No one's doing anything to you so just chill out!" Draco sat down in his seat, still fuming, but quiet.

"So what do you want at Morning Star anyway?" the curly-haired kid asked.

"That's not your business," he replied slowly.

"All right, all right! Geez!"

"Look, kid, here's the thing," said the dark-haired kid, you can't just find Morning Star at the intersection of here and there, you know. It's not that kind of place! But we're all going up there tomorrow, and we can take you with us, no problem. But I think that you should come with us to my boarding house for the what's left of tonight. You can sleep over and travel with us all tomorrow. Most importantly, you can be our excuse for why we're….(He looked at his watch) five hours past curfew."

"How's that going to work?" asked curly-hair.

"We'll tell Dutton that we found a lost English boy who needed our help." They both gave him an incredulous look. "What? It'll fly. Look at him, he looks like freaking Oliver Twist!"

"Maybe, we should get him one of those hats and have him come in barefoot and coughing?" Curly-hair said sarcastically.

"Well, what do you say, kid? Are you in?"

"Yes," Draco said, "But I'm not coming in barefoot and coughing."

"Fair enough. By the way, I'm Jay and this is Glasses." Draco looked at Glasses. He wasn't wearing any glasses.

"You aren't wearing any glasses," he told him. Glasses put his hands to his face in panic. "Oh no! They're gone again!" he yelled.

"Knock it off, stupid!" Jay groaned and to Draco he said, "He's just being stupid. He don't wear glasses anymore. He got his eyes fixed. But the nickname stuck."

"Last stop, Castlewood Station!" yelled the motorman, "Access to the high school, the lower school, the Academy and all boarding houses!" Then he added, "Get off my trolley, you weasels!" All three boys grabbed their things and began to get down.

"Sorry, Ed," said Jay.

"Sorry, Ed," said Glasses.

"Sorry, my foot," said Ed.

The trolley crept away down the line leaving them alone in a heavily wooded area. The only thing that could be seen was the light from the window of a dingy old house and the first blades of daylight creeping in over the trees.

"I guess morning is coming," Draco said to himself.

"Well let's break into a song, why don't we?" Jay commented sarcastically, "Or better yet, lets us get our butts to bed while we can still claim a couple hours of sleep!"

And with that, the three boys climbed up the creaky stairs and into the dilapidated, old house.


	4. Boarding House

"Careful, it's steep," Glasses warned. The three of them were making their way through a limestone passageway. The tunnel began in a back room of a ramshackle house which turned out to be a sort of general store for both magical items like quills, preserved potions materials, and common spell books as well as non-magical items like candy bars, soap, and double A batteries. "They're always open," Jay told Draco as they opened the front door and sure enough a cranky-looking teenager was behind the counter. She looked up from her book long enough to inform them that they were all 'royally screwed'.

"This whole area is full of limestone caves," Glasses told Draco, "They're awesome in the summer, cause it gets so hot here. This passage is the only entrance to the campus." Sure enough, before long they were headed up a steep incline and could see the grey morning sky ahead of them. The three of them hurried along a rocky path that wound around a high ledge. Through the trees, Draco could see a river in the distance and several lights directly below.

"That's the lower school," Jay informed him, "The little kids go there."

"How little?" Draco asked.

"Well you can start when you are five and you usually stay till you're thirteen."

"Unless you're on the extended plan like Jay-Jay here."

"Shut up, Glasses!"

They continued a little further down the path, until they came to an iron staircase which wound its way down the ledge. As they descended, Draco saw several houses and cabins of various sizes.

"These are the boarding houses," Jay told him, "Mine is the best cause it's almost at the bottom of the hill." Draco was surprised to see that most of the boarding houses seemed to be quite awake for such an early hour. He could hear laughing and arguing coming from most of the windows. Some houses even had kids sitting out on the porches talking or playing guitar. In front of one house was a pair of little girls in pigtails. They were floating around inside bright blue bubbles and laughing their heads off.

"You are so screwed, Jay-Jay!" yelled one girl as they went by.

"Thank you! I appreciate your concern!"

"Which one is yours?" Draco asked Glasses. He rolled his eyes in response.

"I don't board," he told him, "My mom won't let me."

"Why not?"

"Because she's a psycho."

As they reached the bottom of the hill, Draco could see a huge meadow filled with fireflies and mist. Deer were grazing on the far side, near the edge of the woods and Draco noticed flashes of silver in the trees behind them. Finally, Jay led them up the steps of a large white house that was held up on one side by stilts.

"Here we are!" Jay said happily. Draco breathed a sigh of relief. He was so exhausted he wasn't sure he could make it to the bottom of the hill without passing out. He'd be happy to sleep on the floor if he could just close his eyes for a second.

Just as Jay was reaching for the door knob, the door swung open, almost decking him in the face, and a tall, thin man burst out onto the porch.

"Jay, you are totally screwed!"

"Hello, Mr. Dutton.

"Eleven O'clock! Is this a difficult concept?"

"No, Sir. We would have been back on time but…"

"I don't want to hear it! You are six hours…Glasses?! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Please?!" Glasses begged.

"Forget it! Go home!"

"But I asked my mom first!" he whined.

"What did I say?"

"Mr. Dutton," Jay interrupted, "He doesn't have time to go home! We're leaving for camp in the morning."

"Boy, it IS morning!"

"Besides, it's not our fault! We found this lost kid and…" Dutton looked sideways at Draco, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Have you lost your mind? You can't just bring random kids in here! Am I suddenly running an orphanage here? I thought we covered this concept when you tried to bring in that rattlesnake!"

"He was in a cage!"

"Jay, this is a boarding house! We take care of people's kids here! You can't just bring in some guy off the street without knowing who he is or anything! He could be a terrorist or something!"

"Yeah, that's it! He's a terrorist!" Jay shouted, "He's a blond-haired, blue-eyed teenage terrorist from England! He goes around launching terror attacks on schools! Look, it's the last day! We're leaving in four hours. Are you going to let them get a couple hours of sleep or are they supposed to go get a cup of coffee at 7 Eleven and suck it up?" Dutton looked over at Draco and Glasses and said, "Fine. Towhead can sleep in the back porch and Glasses can have your bed. You ain't going to need it. You and I are going to have a long talk."

"Come on," Glasses whispered to him and pulled him down the hallway before he could get too indignant at being called 'towhead'. He led Draco out onto a large, screened-in porch with a stone fireplace on one side. On the wall by the door was an enormous chalkboard which listed the names of the boarders and their chores for the week. In the corner, there was a large hammock filled with pillows.

"You can sleep in here," Glasses said, "the hammock's comfortable and did you see the bathroom." Draco shook his head.

"Oh. Well it's back there, we passed it, on the right."

"Right, thanks."

"Well…anyway. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Draco went to the bathroom and drug his backpack with him. He opened the top and found a toothbrush and washrag right on top. He pulled them out and cleaned himself up. He looked at himself in the mirror and it was suddenly hard to breathe. He grabbed his bag and hurried down the hall. He could hear Dutton yelling at Jay in the kitchen as he went. He climbed into the hammock and buried his face in a pillow as he gave into sobbing. He cried because he wasn't at all sure that he wasn't a terrorist. He cried as he tried to remember how he had begun the night planning to commit a murder and ending up sleeping in a hammock in a strange house a thousand miles a way. He cried as he wondered just how angry the Dark Lord was with him. He cried as he wondered what was happening to his mother and his friends and his home. And then he cried as he wondered what was going to happen to him next.


	5. Traveling

Draco was able to sleep for exactly three and a half hours before the noise woke him up. He opened his eyes and stretched out on the hammock. It didn't take long for him to remember where he was and how he'd gotten there. A sick feeling rose in his stomach.

He looked around the porch. The sun was shining through the trees and the leaves cast funny shadows on the worn floorboards. Above him, in the rafters, several assorted owls were snoozing. The chalkboard on the wall was erasing and rewriting itself as the boarders finished up their morning chores. Draco could see that Jay's chore, 'straightening the living room', had yet to be completed. However, Lindy, Cameron, and Axe were well into 'fixing breakfast' and somewhere, someone called Little Bear was 'defunkifying the downstairs bathroom'. Draco had never had chores to do at Hogwarts. There were always house elves to get the cleaning and cooking done. Snape had sometimes assigned him cleaning chores as an embarrassing punishment, but he'd never actually been expected to contribute to the well-being of the dormitory. That's what the servants were for.

Draco headed out into the hall after making sure that he had everything in his bag. Just as he was about to round the corner a black cat the size of a large sheep passed in front of him and stared in his direction with fiery eyes. Draco was secretly afraid of most large animals and he froze, trying to keep his cool. The fire cat began pacing toward him and Draco backed up into the wall. It stopped right in front of him and cocked its head curiously. Draco took a deep breath. Suddenly, the fire cat reared on its back legs and placed its front legs on Draco's chest. Draco yelped as the cat sniffed him.

Suddenly, a small head stuck out of the bathroom and a black boy who looked to be about eight or nine yelled, "Down, Daisy!" Daisy got down immediately and ran down the hallway. The little boy ran shrieking after her, brandishing a toilet plunger like a sword.

Draco found an even more chaotic scene in the kitchen. Boys of all ages were running around everywhere and most of them were yelling.

"Where's my trunks at?"

"Does anybody got some shampoo I can borrow?"

"Where's Alex? He's supposed to help me clean out the quiet room!"

"Who's junk is this?"

"Hey, that's mine!"

"Well, git it out the way!"

"Can we leave soon?"

Meanwhile, Mr. Dutton was sweeping around like a tornado, from one crisis to another.

"Axe, how much water did you put in this oatmeal? Ain't nobody gonna wanna eat that!... The laundry room is cleaned out! If you left something in there it's in the lost and found now…You all need to get your stuff off this table! If you got stuff in here it's going out on the porch!"

There kitchen was far too crowded. Boys were pulling muffins and fruit out of bowls on an enormous table that looked like it could seat about thirty. However, no one could sit at it now because it was covered with people's bags and other miscellaneous things. Other boys were standing around eating hot cereal out of jars and shouting, "Hey, where's the milk? Are we out of pumpkin butter?" One boy was sitting up on the counter, using his wand to levitate dirty dishes in and out of soapy and fresh water. It didn't look like they were getting very clean but another boy was doing a drying spell on them and putting them away in the cabinet. The other boys, in absence of a table to eat at, were sprawled all over the furniture in the two front rooms that served as their common rooms. Still more boys were sitting in the window sills.

"Mark!" yelled Mr. Dutton, "Come in through the door like a human being!" Mark responded by pulling his feet up on the window sill and jumping and screeching like a monkey. Draco got a jar full of porridge and sat down on an armchair to eat it. The other boys barely seemed to notice him, something Draco didn't care for at all. Dutton came whirling in right after him.

"Look at this room!" he hollered, "You all know you ain't supposed to be eating in here!" Some of the boys giggled and took their breakfast out onto the porch, others stuffed the last few bites in their mouths and deposited their dishes on the coffee table, end tables, and wainscoting. Dutton levitated most of the dishes and sent them into the kitchen. There was a sound of a splash and a couple of boys yelling, "Hey! What the heck?"

"Who is supposed to be cleaning this room?" Dutton continued, "Look at this!"

"It is clean!" one of the boys protested.

"Are you kidding me? Okay, get up!" he ordered a group of little kids who were sitting on a couch, "Lets us play, 'How Many Stinky Socks Are Still in the Couch?" Dutton reached into the sofa cushions and pulled out two socks both of which he hurled at the other boys, still eating on the furniture.

"Hey!"

"Dutton! What the heck!"

"Geez, Dutton, we're trying to eat here!"

"That's what you get! Ya'll know there's no eating in here!" Dutton fired socks number three and four and the boys scattered.

"And someone had better get their butt busy in here because your mamas do not work here!" Draco took his porridge out on the front porch, where dozens of cups and plates were left sitting on the rails and the floor boards. There he found an old swing where he settled himself. Kids were cascading down the iron staircase in droves and spilling out onto a gravel road below. The road was lined with bags and the meadow beyond was covered with kids all trying to play different games. Several kids were flying broomsticks and Draco wished he could join them. It had been nearly a year since he flew. He had sort of given up that stuff while on his mission to please the Dark Lord. Suddenly playing quidditch with his friends didn't seem so juvenile anymore.

Draco's thoughts were interrupted by Glasses, who came out on the porch, carrying a large duffle bag and a bed roll.

"Hey, where's Jay at?" Draco shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't seen Jay since he went to bed. Glasses dropped his stuff next to Draco's bag and went down the steps and over to the side of the house that was supported by stilts. Draco leaned back over the rail to watch him.

"Hey, Jay?" he called under the house, "Are you ready to leave?" Draco couldn't hear what Jay said but he must have been there because Glasses leaned down and asked him, "Did you get kicked out?" Draco was unaccustomed to feeling sympathy for others, but it was easy for him to sympathize with Jay. Snape was always threatening to throw Slytherins out of Hogwarts if they messed up but to Draco's knowledge, he never had. Draco wondered if Jay could stay at his parents' house like Glasses did and still go to school.

Glasses had disappeared under the house for a moment, but now he came out saying, "It's okay man, don't worry about it." He came back up to the porch and said, "Hey, Draco, help me with these cups and things okay?" Draco's first reaction was to protest, but he didn't. Maybe if he'd done more chores as a kid he wouldn't have failed so miserably at the first one the Dark Lord had given him. He used a levitating spell and lifted all the dishes, sending them to the kitchen. The front room was empty now except for a few items left here and there. Glasses took care of those while Draco shook out the sofa cushions and used a charm to sweep the floor clean. He found a spare magical history book entitled, "The World and Me" and another spare sock. He asked Glasses where the lost and found was and he showed him a picnic table outside that was covered with lost items. They found Mr. Dutton there with a group of boys who were laughing hysterically as he proceeded to hold up item after item describing it and offering it to be claimed by the owner or the highest bidder. "Here we have a lovely pair of boxers; size four, no visable tears or stains."

Glasses walked up to him and thanked him for letting them stay the night.

"It's all right, Glasses. You're a good kid. If you happen to see Jay, tell him 'good-bye' for me."

"Will do, Sir."

"And you!" Mr. Dutton continued, addressing Draco, "I apologize for my attitude last night. It's nothing personal. I know you probably aren't a terrorist." The boys laughed and Draco looked at the ground and muttered, "Thanks."

"Come on," Glasses told him and they left as Mr. Dutton entertained the kids by having a lost set of quidditch gear do the can-can across the picnic table.

Glasses led him across the meadow to a dirt trail. They followed the trail, along with a large group of other kids as it followed a creek bed through the woods. They could hear the creek gurgling below and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Some of the boys even got down into the water and splashed each other.

"Where's Jay?" Draco asked.

"He's meeting us down by the boats."

"What boats?" Draco demanded.

"The boats that are for taking us to the summer camp, geez!"

"I thought we were going to Morning Star!"

"We are! The summer camp is at Morning Star! Or around it, actually. Just chill, will ya?"

"Are all these kids going too?" Draco asked.

"Dude, EVERYONE'S going! Even the muggle school kids go!"

"Muggle school kids?"

"You know, the kids whose parents, like, don't want them going to magic schools." Draco was confused. "Why wouldn't they want their kids to go to school?"

"I don't know. Like, if they can't do magic themselves and they don't want their kids doing stuff to them. Or, like, if they're real overprotective or super religious and are scared they'll get taught to do real dark magic or evil stuff." Draco was appalled.

"Those aren't very good reasons to keep your kids from going to school!"

"Well I didn't say they were intelligent people! I mean, my ma's kinda like that. She let's me go to school and everything but she's always worried that I turn into some kind of dark wizard or evil psychopath. I think that's why she won't let me board and doesn't like me hanging out with Jay. She thinks he's the spawn of the devil or something. And, I know, I've learned about some pretty dark stuff through the years but that doesn't mean I'm going to go out and do it, does it? I mean, look at the people at Morning Star! They constantly meddle with time and space and light and dark and good and evil and well, if they went on a power trip they're powerful enough they could hold the world in perpetual Armageddon! But they don't, do they? And if they can handle the balance don't you think I'm capable of handling the freedom of my own bedroom and a shared bathroom while still maintaining some semblance of sanity and morality?"

Draco didn't know what to say. He had obtained a rather large amount of information in a rather short amount of time and he was still digesting most of it. They were coming to a steep point in the trail, which ended in the creek bed. The two boys climbed down into the creek. Draco jumped from rock to rock, try to keep his feet dry until Glasses said, "Stop that, you're embarrassing me! I know they have water in England." The kept moving and soon the creek spread out into a large fan-shaped opening, which fed into the river. In the opening, were scores of canoes, most of which were filling up with kids. They spotted Jay with another kid, in a red canoe.

"Hey, Dante!" Glasses greeted.

"Hey, kid." Dante responded, "Who's the dude?"

"Oh, that's Draco," Jay said in a lazy voice, "He's an English terrorist."

"Dang," said Dante calmly.

"Yeah," added Glasses, "Watch him. He's got a crumpet and he knows how to use it." Draco was thinking that this joke was getting more then a little old.

The four of them got in the canoe and pushed off. The day was becoming muggy and hot, but all the kids seemed to be in high spirits. The river was full of canoes and rafts. Some groups seemed to be in a hurry and were double-timing it with the oars. Others, floated downstream lazily, calling to others, splashing each other, jumping in and out, and trying to capsize other canoes. The latter seemed to be a favorite activity of Jay and Dante, particularly if the canoe was full of teenage girls in skimpy shirts. On the shore, Draco could see lines of younger kids marching like little ants. He could hear them singing, yelling, and laughing in the distance.

"The little kids ain't allowed in the boats," Dante told him, "The teachers are scared they'll drown themselves."

Overhead, older kids on broomstick whizzed past them.

"Man, that's what we shoulda done!" moaned Dante.

"Why didn't we?" Draco asked.

"Well…We didn't because one dude I know of's mama thinks that broomsticks is the instruments of the devil!" Everyone laughed. "And another dude I know of done got his broomstick confiscated by the assistant principal."

"and I don't have mine with me," added Draco.

"and you ain't got yours, exactly. The real question is, why is a guy like me whose got his broomstick stuck in this here boat with ya'll?"

"Well you can start swimming Dante, if you don't like the company," countered Glasses.

"Well maybe ya'll can take a swim with me!" laughed Dante and he began swinging the boat back and forth. The boys laughed and splashed him and begged him to stop.

The canoe continued downstream. It didn't see to need to be paddled. The boys laughed and talked for a while until Draco finally decided to ask the question.

"So, what is it they do at Morning Star?"

"Lord only knows!" said Dante.

"Is it a school?" Draco pressed.

"It's a sorta school," said Glasses, "I mean people go there to learn, but it's more then that."

"Yeah, and can't just anybody go there either," explained Dante, "You gotta be real powerful or they won't mess with you. My mama's friend had this baby that was super powerful. Like, every time she started to cry, the house shook and people's hearts would stop beating. People from Morning Star came and looked at that child and wouldn't take her. Gave her mama some sort of potion to keep her from destroying the house until she was old enough to know better. But they wouldn't even take her."

"Yeah, but you gotta be more then just powerful too," continued Jay, "You have to be able to control your powers. They look at your personality, I think. I mean, they don't want someone who is going to use their knowledge for evil or to send the world into chaos."

"My ma thinks they're evil already. She says they're up there bringing the dead to life, communing with demons, and playing with the balance between good and evil."

"What? Don't you think people'd notice if dead peoples was walking around?" asked Dante sarcastically.

"That's just what SHE says. My ma's a little wacko, if you haven't noticed."

"What do they actually do then?" Draco asked. The boys looked at each other.

"I don't think anyone knows specifically," said Jay.

"Yeah, they keep their secrets, that's for sure!" added Dante.

"They just sort of keep track of things," explained Glasses, trying to be helpful, "I mean they watch over the schools, especially the kids in the Academy, and they keep the world from coming to an end." The boys were quiet for a moment. There didn't seem to be much else to say. Draco wondered if Voldemort knew of Morning Star and the power they possessed. He wondered if Dumbledore had known.

"So, what's the Academy?" Draco asked. The three boys rolled their eyes at each other and groaned.

"It's a special school for stuck-up smarties," moaned Jay.

"Who think they're a big deal cause studying is all they do," added Dante.

"And they're usually from families with lots of pull with the school because they've been wizards since the dawn of time," Glasses chipped in resentfully.

"They go to school year round," Jay continued, "and they have to board, they don't have a choice."

"They have like a special hall, just for them," Dante interrupted.

"So they don't have to mix with us when they're at their winter camp-

"Which just also happens to be OUR school."

"And at the summer camp they take lessons with Morning Star."

"While we relax and have an awesome time." Draco was getting the picture that the boys didn't care for the Academy students. He was also getting the picture that if he had been an American, he would most likely be an Academy student.

The boys chatted while the sun rose higher and the day got hotter and muggier.

"How much longer is it?" Draco complained.

"You want some cheese with that wine?" Jay asked sarcastically.

" I'm just really hot."

"So take a swim!" suggested Dante.

"No!" said Draco indignantly.

"Then be hot," Jay resolved.

"He is really red," Glasses pointed out. His voice sounded concerned. The other boys looked at Draco.

"Wait," said Jay, "You did put on sunscreen, right?" Draco's eyes got wide. He shook his head.

"Aw, dude!" Dante exclaimed, " You better get some sunscreen on or you gonna be one broasted British potato!"

Draco open his backpack and searched for a bottle of sunscreen. There wasn't one, but there was a small paperback entitled, "Practical Charms for Travel". Draco looked up sunscreen in the back and found a spell that would protect your skin from the sun. Draco got out his wand and cast it on himself. He felt a soothing coldness come over his skin, but it was soon replaced by heat.

"Did it work?" Draco asked aloud. His arms still looked red to him.

"I think it may have been too late, dude," said Jay, "You look like a hairy lobster." Draco looked at the book again.

"It says leaves from the aloe vera plant can repair damaged skin."

"Okay," said Dante, "I think we already knew that but thanks for sharing." Draco opened his bag again. He found a bottle that was labeled 'essence of aloe vera-extra strong' which he smeared all over his arms and face. Soon his skin went back to its normal shade.

"Just in time, too," exclaimed Dante, "Look up there!" Ahead of them, the river bed was filled with a sparkling mist. As the boats ahead went into it, they disappeared. As the boys' canoe went entered the mist, Draco felt a rush of cold, the canoe sped up as if going down some heavy rapids, though the soft splashing sound had disappeared. Suddenly, there was a rush forward and a loud splash and they found themselves in the middle of an enormous body of water that stretched to the horizon. Ahead of them were scores of boats making their way toward land.

"We're here!" exclaimed Jay, observing the obvious, "Summer camp! And look up there!" Draco looked at the highest point of land within view and saw a bright light. It looked like a giant prism set atop the mountain, sending out every color of light.

"What is that?" Draco asked.

"That is Morning Star."


	6. Circle

"Hey, hey, Draco!" Draco opened his eyes. He was sore from head to toe, but he felt much better after a long nap. Glasses was standing over the bed.

"Hey, we're going down to the circle. There's going to be a bon fire and a bunch of food. Do you want to come?" Draco nodded. He was a little uncomfortable being immersed in a crowd of people he didn't know, but he was hungry and a 'bunch of food' sounded really good to him.

Draco followed Glasses down the ladder from the loft to the main room of the cabin they had found to stay in. It was easily the most primitive place he had ever stayed but it was comfortable enough. The cabin was an A-frame house. The façade was screened in to keep out the mosquitoes and let in the breeze. There were two small beds, a worn-out sofa, and a card table in the main room. In the back, there was a small bathroom with a shower. There was also a loft with two more beds and a large, screened in window. When they first arrived, Jay, Glasses, and Dante claimed the cabin and set to making it their own. Draco fell asleep almost immediately.

The heat of the day had passed and the air was cooling as the sun went down. They boys made their way down a steep path to a dirt road. The road led them along side a creek where lots of children were playing. At one point they pass a group that was playing with a creature Draco had never seen before. It looked a lot like a seal, but it was covered with scales that reflected different colors. It had a long tail that it swished at the children whenever they came to close. Draco was not an animal lover but even he thought it was pretty cute. Suddenly, one of the children broke forward through the water and managed to climb on the creature's back. The creature made a funny whistling sound and shot a heavy stream of water out of its back, which sent the child three or four feet in the air and splashing back into the pool. The children all laughed.

The bon fire was pleasant and there was indeed a 'bunch of food' as Glasses had predicted. The four of them had their fill of fried chicken, potatoes, corn, and fresh fruit and vegetables. They each got a huge piece of watermelon and had some fun spitting the seeds at each other.

"Hey, Jay!" Glasses said suddenly, "We haven't registered for activities, yet!"

"Oh, yeah!" Jay remembered. The four of them went over to a long table where kids were looking at lists of activities.

"What grade are you in, Draco?" Dante asked.

"I don't know. We don't have grades at Hogwarts. I'm a 6th year. At least, I just was."

"Well sign up as a junior so you can do the same stuff as us," Glasses suggested.

"But I don't know how much longer I'm going to be here," Draco told him.

"Well sign up anyway, just in case." Draco signed his name to a the list of Juniors and a girl gave him a piece of parchment with a list of activities.

"Hey, look what's first on the list!" Draco looked.

**930AM- Combative Magic Workshop at Morning Star Meadow **

" And there you are, you lucky boy!" Jay exclaimed, "We'll go up there right after breakfast!"

As the sun was setting, a wizard in strange costume appeared with what looked like a long bolt of silver fabric. The crowd seemed to get excited as he came forward and several younger children asked if they could help him with the cloth.

"Who is that old man?" Draco asked.

"Coyote," Jay told him, "He's the principal of the lower school."

"What's he doing with that bit of fabric?"

"Gonna tell a story, I suppose. He's an awesome story teller." Draco watched as the children stretched out the fabric over the grass. Coyote waved his hands over it and it rose up taut, like a projection screen. He then gestured for everyone to come sit down and everyone struggled to get a good seat. He then said a spell over the fabric and it lit up with color. Coyote told them a story of a Sioux warrior who used magic to save his wife, but in return was changed into an eagle. When ever he spoke the colors and shadows on the fabric would change and form images of the story. He gave small drums and shakers to the children in the front so they could make sounds and help to tell the story. It was a very moving tale and the audience was mesmerized. When the story was though, the lower school teachers announced that it was time for the little kids to be in their tents and cabins. There was a little bit of groaning but most of it was just on principle because everyone was tired and a majority of the older kids went back to their campsites as well.

Only a handful remained as the fire was burning down. Draco noticed that most of them had on white tunics with a red bird on the front. They all sat in silence for a long time, watching the fire. Then, some of the kids in the white tunics pulled out drums and shakers and a stringed instrument that Draco hadn't ever seen before. The instrument has a haunting, metallic sound and Draco closed his eyes as he listened to it. The sound became more intense and it was joined by another sound. Another song that was not quite human. When the music stopped he opened his eyes. He was surprised to see a thick mist had enveloped them, but as he looked closer, he could see staring eyes. And then forms. They were like wolves, but smaller. _Coyotes,_ he realized. The animals came into the firelight slowly and lay down. One of them chose a spot only inches from Draco's foot. Draco looked up at the people in the white tunics. One of them, a girl with long black hair, was smiling at him. She was the one with the haunting stringed instrument, which she took up again and began to sing. Her voice was soft and clear and beautiful and though Draco couldn't understand the song, he felt hypnotized by it. The girl continued to sing song after song and one by one, the other people got up and left the circle until Draco and his companions were left alone with the ones with the red bird.

"Why don't you sing any songs in English?" Jay complained. Draco felt like decking him one. He didn't mind the words of the song at all. The girl smiled at him and put down her instrument. She began to sing,

"_Bright Morning Stars are Rising,_

_Bright Morning Stars are Rising,_

_Bright Morning Stars are Rising,_

_Day is a-breaking in my soul…"_

She continued to sing, and the others joined in with her, but Jay pulled Draco to his feet and whispered, "Come on, it's time for us to go." As they walked through the mist, Draco could still hear their voices and see their faces, glowing in the firelight.


	7. confrontation

Draco felt like he had been walking for ages. He'd started on a path at the base of the mountain that Morning Star sat upon. He'd checked the path with a spell he'd leaned from a book. He checked again from time to time and though his wand told him to continue up the path, and though he climbed and climbed up the steep, rocky hillside, Morning Star never seemed to get any closer. He was hot, tired, and sweaty and he sat down for a moment and tried to think.

Jay had told him that you can't simply walk up to Morning Star. Draco realized that there must be some sort of enchantment set up to protect it.

"Come on, think!" he encouraged himself. Sweat was pouring down his face and back and he had no water. He'd been so angry, he'd forgotten to bring the backpack as well. The only thing he had with him was the new paper article, which was now a moist ball in his hand. He threw it down on the path and put his head in his hands. He tried to think as hard as he could about the problem but all he could think of was the image of Dumbledore, weakened, exhausted, completely defenseless, but never cowering, his clear blue eyes staring calmly at Draco, offering him another chance. Tears streamed down his face. "Why couldn't I do it?" he whispered. The heat was becoming unbearable.

Draco rose and wiped at his face. He had to keep going if he ever wanted to find Whitewolf. He continued to follow the path, searching carefully for a clue. He walked for another hour or so, until suddenly he saw something on the path ahead of him. He rushed forward to find a very familiar ball of paper lying in the middle of the path. He picked it up and opened it, just to be sure. The dark mark stared back at him. Draco threw it to the ground once more and fell to his knees.

"You've been out here for a while," said a voice suddenly. Draco jumped up armed himself. "I figured I'd better come get you before you missed your supper."

It was the girl from the bon fire; the one with the long black hair.

"I'm Mariana, by the way. I've brought you some water." She approached him and handed him a water bag. Draco drank from it greedily and was delighted to find it was ice cold.

"They aren't there, you know. They all left last night, after the bon fire." Draco stared at her. Her hair and skin were dark, but her eyes were the lightest blue.

"Are you…" Draco started but couldn't finish.

"One of the coven? Yes, I am. But they asked me to stay behind and look after you." Draco almost dropped the water bag.

"Look after me? What do you mean?" Mariana grinned. "They were mostly concerned that you'd try to leave."

"You mean I'm not allowed to leave if I want?" Draco demanded.

"Do you want to leave?" Draco didn't answer her.

"What were you crying about, Draco?" He remained silent. She removed a scarf from around her hair, wet it with the water bag, and handed it to him. He wiped his eyes and forehead.

"Do you want to know the answer to your question?" she asked him.

"What question?"

"Why you couldn't kill Albus Dumbledore." A know rose in Draco's throat. He nodded slowly.

"You couldn't, because you didn't want to."

"But I did want to!" Draco insisted, "I wanted to please the Dark Lord, so much. I wanted everyone to see that I was someone. I wanted my father to see…"

"Of course you did! But would you have that at the price of your freedom?"

"No."

"And that of your friends and family? Would your barter their freedom for a few moments of admiration?" Draco shook his head.

"I believe that you fully understand the evil you are dealing with. This Voldemort, he does not have allies, nor friends. He has only enemies and slaves."

"But why should I care about Dumbledore, anyway? It's not like he ever cared about me!"

"He forgave you didn't he?" Draco snorted, "Yeah, with my wand in his face and his back to the wall. He probably would have said any…"

"Was he trembling? Was he pleading for mercy?"

"He said I was the one that needed mercy." Mariana smiled at him. "Have some more water." Mariana rose while Draco drank from the water bag. She picked up the ball of newspaper and opened it. "I'm wondering if you read this, Draco."

"No," he replied, "Why should I? I was there, I know what happened." She sat back down beside him. "I think that you should read it." Draco set down the water bag and took the article in his hands. It was a little difficult to read after being so misused, but near the end, Draco saw the bit of information Mariana meant him to see.

"_Also, killed in the attack, Draco and Narcissa Malfoy, son and wife a known Deatheater. Though it is not yet clear how they died, authorities believe they may have been involved in launching the attack. .."_

Draco raised his eyes to meet Mariana's.

"He did it anyway," Draco said aloud, "He did it just like he said he would…But how could he? Snape killed him."

"Perhaps it was already arranged."

"Perhaps, but…but it wasn't the Order that got me out, it was Snape…but then who lied to the newspaper? …and how did they know it wasn't me who killed him? You see, it doesn't make any sense!" Mariana shrugged her shoulders and Draco continued,

"Dumbledore said he trusted Snape completely…but Snape killed him in the end so obviously he wasn't working for Dumbledore. .. which I already knew. But then he saved me from the Dark Lord. Why would he defy him if he was working for him?" Draco looked at Mariana, "I don't know if I can trust Snape any further then I can throw him." Mariana laughed. "It might make it easier to decide whether or not to trust Snape, if you first decide what side you are on yourself!"

"That's easy for you to say, he isn't coming to pick you up in a few weeks! I just watched him kill a man so forgive me if I'm a little worried about what I'm going to say to him."

"Why don't you ask Whitewolf?" Mariana suggested, "Once they return?"

"When will that be?"

"I can't say for sure. They're meeting with another coven. They have some major decisions to make as well. But I'm reasonably secure in stating that they will arrive before Severus Snape."

"How do you know?" Draco asked, a little more impertinently then he should have. Mariana smiled and rose again.

"We'd better head down now so you don't miss your supper!" She led him off the path and through the trees. In moments, he could see lights shining below him and hear voices laughing and singing.

"What am I going to do while I'm waiting here for Whitewolf?" Draco complained.

"Well, it's up to you of course, but if I were you, I would begin with reconciling with my friends." Draco turned to protest calling Glasses and Jay his friends, but Mariana had already disappeared.


	8. Mariana

Draco felt like he had been walking for ages. He'd started on a path at the base of the mountain that Morning Star sat upon. He'd checked the path with a spell he'd leaned from a book. He checked again from time to time and though his wand told him to continue up the path, and though he climbed and climbed up the steep, rocky hillside, Morning Star never seemed to get any closer. He was hot, tired, and sweaty and he sat down for a moment and tried to think.

Jay had told him that you can't simply walk up to Morning Star. Draco realized that there must be some sort of enchantment set up to protect it.

"Come on, think!" he encouraged himself. Sweat was pouring down his face and back and he had no water. He'd been so angry, he'd forgotten to bring the backpack as well. The only thing he had with him was the new paper article, which was now a moist ball in his hand. He threw it down on the path and put his head in his hands. He tried to think as hard as he could about the problem but all he could think of was the image of Dumbledore, weakened, exhausted, completely defenseless, but never cowering, his clear blue eyes staring calmly at Draco, offering him another chance. Tears streamed down his face. "Why couldn't I do it?" he whispered. The heat was becoming unbearable.

Draco rose and wiped at his face. He had to keep going if he ever wanted to find Whitewolf. He continued to follow the path, searching carefully for a clue. He walked for another hour or so, until suddenly he saw something on the path ahead of him. He rushed forward to find a very familiar ball of paper lying in the middle of the path. He picked it up and opened it, just to be sure. The dark mark stared back at him. Draco threw it to the ground once more and fell to his knees.

"You've been out here for a while," said a voice suddenly. Draco jumped up armed himself. "I figured I'd better come get you before you missed your supper."

It was the girl from the bon fire; the one with the long black hair.

"I'm Mariana, by the way. I've brought you some water." She approached him and handed him a water bag. Draco drank from it greedily and was delighted to find it was ice cold.

"They aren't there, you know. They all left last night, after the bon fire." Draco stared at her. Her hair and skin were dark, but her eyes were the lightest blue.

"Are you…" Draco started but couldn't finish.

"One of the coven? Yes, I am. But they asked me to stay behind and look after you." Draco almost dropped the water bag.

"Look after me? What do you mean?" Mariana grinned. "They were mostly concerned that you'd try to leave."

"You mean I'm not allowed to leave if I want?" Draco demanded.

"Do you want to leave?" Draco didn't answer her.

"What were you crying about, Draco?" He remained silent. She removed a scarf from around her hair, wet it with the water bag, and handed it to him. He wiped his eyes and forehead.

"Do you want to know the answer to your question?" she asked him.

"What question?"

"Why you couldn't kill Albus Dumbledore." A know rose in Draco's throat. He nodded slowly.

"You couldn't, because you didn't want to."

"But I did want to!" Draco insisted, "I wanted to please the Dark Lord, so much. I wanted everyone to see that I was someone. I wanted my father to see…"

"Of course you did! But would you have that at the price of your freedom?"

"No."

"And that of your friends and family? Would your barter their freedom for a few moments of admiration?" Draco shook his head.

"I believe that you fully understand the evil you are dealing with. This Voldemort, he does not have allies, nor friends. He has only enemies and slaves."

"But why should I care about Dumbledore, anyway? It's not like he ever cared about me!"

"He forgave you didn't he?" Draco snorted, "Yeah, with my wand in his face and his back to the wall. He probably would have said any…"

"Was he trembling? Was he pleading for mercy?"

"He said I was the one that needed mercy." Mariana smiled at him. "Have some more water." Mariana rose while Draco drank from the water bag. She picked up the ball of newspaper and opened it. "I'm wondering if you read this, Draco."

"No," he replied, "Why should I? I was there, I know what happened." She sat back down beside him. "I think that you should read it." Draco set down the water bag and took the article in his hands. It was a little difficult to read after being so misused, but near the end, Draco saw the bit of information Mariana meant him to see.

"_Also, killed in the attack, Draco and Narcissa Malfoy, son and wife a known Deatheater. Though it is not yet clear how they died, authorities believe they may have been involved in launching the attack. .."_

Draco raised his eyes to meet Mariana's.

"He did it anyway," Draco said aloud, "He did it just like he said he would…But how could he? Snape killed him."

"Perhaps it was already arranged."

"Perhaps, but…but it wasn't the Order that got me out, it was Snape…but then who lied to the newspaper? …and how did they know it wasn't me who killed him? You see, it doesn't make any sense!" Mariana shrugged her shoulders and Draco continued,

"Dumbledore said he trusted Snape completely…but Snape killed him in the end so obviously he wasn't working for Dumbledore. .. which I already knew. But then he saved me from the Dark Lord. Why would he defy him if he was working for him?" Draco looked at Mariana, "I don't know if I can trust Snape any further then I can throw him." Mariana laughed. "It might make it easier to decide whether or not to trust Snape, if you first decide what side you are on yourself!"

"That's easy for you to say, he isn't coming to pick you up in a few weeks! I just watched him kill a man so forgive me if I'm a little worried about what I'm going to say to him."

"Why don't you ask Whitewolf?" Mariana suggested, "Once they return?"

"When will that be?"

"I can't say for sure. They're meeting with another coven. They have some major decisions to make as well. But I'm reasonably secure in stating that they will arrive before Severus Snape."

"How do you know?" Draco asked, a little more impertinently then he should have. Mariana smiled and rose again.

"We'd better head down now so you don't miss your supper!" She led him off the path and through the trees. In moments, he could see lights shining below him and hear voices laughing and singing.

"What am I going to do while I'm waiting here for Whitewolf?" Draco complained.

"Well, it's up to you of course, but if I were you, I would begin with reconciling with my friends." Draco turned to protest calling Glasses and Jay his friends, but Mariana had already disappeared.


	9. Morning Star

The next few weeks were eventful and pleasant. Draco went back to the cabin that night no knowing what to say. He'd never apologized to anyone for anything in his life. He couldn't even imagine the words, "I'm sorry, please take me back," coming across his lips. Fortunately for Draco, Jay and Glasses didn't need to hear those words in order to forgive him. When he arrived at the A-frame, Draco found them both sitting on the front stoop. His backpack sat neatly on the bottom step.

"We figured you wouldn't go far without that." Glasses said absently.

"Thanks." Draco responded. He picked it up and shouldered it.

"Did you talk to Whitewolf?" Jay asked.

"No. They weren't there."

"Bummer," Jay commented. They were silent for a moment.

"So, where's Dante?" Draco asked. Jay gestured with his thumb down the road.

"Splitsville." More silence followed.

"How was the combative magic thing?" he asked finally. The boys looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Dude, we didn't go. We were waiting for you to come back!"

"You were waiting for me?" Draco repeated in disbelief.

"Look, dude," Glasses interrupted, "You don't gotta go or nothing. I mean, you don't HAVE to tell us stuff. It's just, you know, when you read an article that a guy is dead-

"And you can see he ain't…" Jay interrupted.

"-you tend to get a little curious as to what the heck is going on. Like I said, you don't gotta tell us if you don't want to. But I mean, if it was you, wouldn't you want to know?"

"I reckon I would," Draco admitted, "I'm sorry you guys missed the workshop." Draco realized that it was easier to apologize for small things rather then big things.

"It's no biggie," Jay said, "Actually I probably wouldn't have gone anyway. I can't think of a single situation that I would need to know combative magic. I mean, how's that going to happen? Who gets into wizards' duels anymore?"

"Well, keeping that in mind, I guess I've got some stuff to tell you. You remember that joke about me not being a terrorist?"

Draco's friends had responded considerably well to the information he had given them.

"Dang!" Jay exclaimed, "England sounds worse then East St. Louis!" Glasses then suggested that they all three get a snow cone.

The next few days, Draco accompanied the boys to their activities and met their friends from school. They mostly went hiking and swimming, though they also had lessons of different magical plants and animals that lived in the area. One day, a burly, little man who looked like he might be part goblin took them on a tour of a cave. It was a good day because the cave was nice and cool and it was on that occasion that Dante started hanging around again.

On the fifth day of their stay, it was raining. Draco looked at the list of activities and saw that they were scheduled for music at the Morning Star lodge. Draco groaned. If there was one thing he disliked about his new friends, it was that they were constantly singing. Draco was not a lover of music by any means, though he had composed a rather lengthy song cycle in his second year entitled, "Why We Hate Hermoine Granger". These people, however, sang about everything. They sang songs about lovers, divided by warring tribes. They sang songs about animals. They sang songs about trying to find the lavatory. They sang songs about it being too hot. They sang songs about honor, bravery, and truth. They sang songs about annoying teachers and so on and so forth. Everywhere they went, someone had a guitar or a dulcimer or a flute or a drum. So Draco was not too keen on the idea of music class, however, the class was supposed to take place at the Morning Star Lodge, so perhaps he could find out if Whitewolf had returned from their meeting yet.

After lunch, the juniors met at the corral gates.

"I thought we were going to Morning Star," said Draco impatiently as he looked distastefully at the mud on his sneakers.

"We are," Jay assured him, "But we can't just walk up. The star horses take us up there." Momentarily, a witch in short overalls and a cowboy hat let them in and led them into the barn. Inside, there were dozens of enormous, snow-white Clydesdales with crystalline eyes. Draco had never seen horses so large. His day seemed to be getting worse and worse. One by one, the wrangler led them up to an animal and told them its name.

"You'll be riding May, today," she told Draco, "She's one of my favorites!" Draco looked at May.

"How come she doesn't have a saddle?" Draco asked.

"Star horses don't need riding tack. You ride them bareback. Just hold on to her mane, she knows where to go." Draco did not like the sound of this at all. The wrangler witch whispered to May and May knelt down on her front legs.

"Hop on up," she told Draco. Even kneeling, May was a little difficult to get up and over but Draco managed it and held on for dear life as she stood to her normal height. In front of him, a boy named Victor was trying desperately to keep his mount. He was skinny and awkward and he tended to remind Draco of Neville Longbottom. Victor was clinging desperately to his horses mane and every time the horse moved or took a step he began to whimper. Draco laughed sadistically and said, "Pathetic," just loud enough for Victor to hear. Victor looked like he might cry.

Suddenly, Draco felt a flash go by his shoulder and his horse reared up on his back legs. Draco screamed blue murder and held on for dear life. Finally May settled her self and was still. Draco was panting and shaking. He turned behind him to see Dante looking around suspiciously.

"Hey! Who did that?" he yelled sarcastically, "Someone back here throwing hexes around?!"

After an hour of riding through the drenching rain, Mariana greeted them at the gate to Morning Star. Draco was pleased to see her. He didn't think he'd mind getting a music lesson from her near as much.

"Good afternoon, Juniors!" Mariana greeted.

"Good afternoon, Mariana," everyone replied.

"Please, bring the horses into the meadow and join me in the guest room. It's a little soggy out here for a lesson, don't you think?" Everyone chattered their agreements.

Morning Star Lodge looked like a temple more than a lodge to Draco. The outer walls looked as if they were constructed in white clay with a glistening glaze. The windows appeared to be stained glass, but as you looked at them, you saw the colors changing and creating new images. The front of the lodge overlooked the meadow and the campsites below, but the rear of the building appeared to be anchored into the actual hillside. Indeed, Draco could see outer passageways and opening carved right into the ledge. On the north side of the lodge, a spring gushed from the ledge and spilled over the rocks, creating a large waterfall. The water formed a large pool on the edge of the meadow, where many of the hoses were drinking.

Inside, the guestroom was a large space with long tables and large windows. It reminded Draco of the great hall at Hogwarts. It was quite pleasant inside and Draco thought there must be a very powerful cooling charm at work. At one end of the hall was a large, open hearth and at the other, a marble staircase which two young people in blue tunics were descending.

"Friends," Mariana began, "Today you will get to try many different kinds of instruments. Each has its own qualities and sounds and many of them are quite easy to begin. You may chose your first instrument from the table and go find a pillow and a space to yourself to work on it." Draco looked at the tables. They were covered with an assortment of instruments. Draco thought as long as he didn't have to sing, he would be fine.

"Ramon and Cheyenne are here from the academy," Mariana continued. She gestured to the two people in the blue tunics who both bowed. "They are both fine artists and here to help you if you have any questions." The juniors all went to the table and chose an instrument. Draco found a dulcimer which had a funny little stick with it and a piece of parchment with words, notes, and instructions. Draco to the instrument and found a spot. He tried to follow the instructions but no matter what he did, it didn't sound like music at all.

Ramon came over and sat down beside him.

"It is out of tune," he said, in a funny accent, "Here, give to me. I will fix." Draco handed it to Ramon and charmed it with his wand. "Here, try now," he said finally. Draco strummed through the strings and they rang true.

"It is the rain that make the strings go flat," Ramon explained. Ramon showed him how to play the chord sequence and when Draco had played it correctly several times, Ramon took out a flute and played a melody with him.

"Very good, Draco!" Mariana said as she passed by them, "Ramon, would your please bring in the medicine flutes your made for them?"

"Yes, Mariana," he responded and he left.

"That was the song you were singing at the first bon fire," Draco observed.

"That's right. You have a good ear." Draco almost blushed, "It's been sort of stuck in my head," he admitted.

"Have the others returned yet?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"And has Professor Snape come for me?"

"Not yet. Don't worry about it, Draco, " she said softly.

"But my family, and my friends, what's going to happen to them?" Mariana shook her head sadly. "Come back to the table," she told him.

Draco levitated the dulcimer to the waiting cart and had a seat beside Glasses at the table. Ramon came around and handed each person a piece of rough, rolled up fabric. Everyone unrolled their fabric and found a wooden flute with a bright red bird at the bottom. The same red bird was woven into the middle of each piece of cloth.

"Cheyenne," said Mariana, "You may begin the lesson." Cheyenne bowed to Mariana and then turned to the students.

"The medicine flute is a form of healing that has been used by many of the Indian Nations. Each flute is made uniquely by a trained witch or wizard and each has its own unique spirit and sound. Most of them are decorated with red, which is the color for protection. The red bird symbolizes the Thunderbird, which is recognized by most of the Nations as the spirit of healing and rebirth."

"Aren't they the same as Phoenix?" asked one girl.

"The Thunderbird is a spirit bird, and therefore, there is only one. It isn't born, it simply exists. It cannot be captured, killed, tamed, or changed. It shows itself when it is needed. The phoenix, though rare, is a living creature of our world. But, yes, they do bare striking similarities."

_"In other words," _Draco thought, "_The Thunderbird isn't real."_

"How come mine is upside-down?" Draco asked aloud. Cheyenne leaned over and took both Draco and Glasses' flutes and held them up.

"The Thunderbird symbol directs the healing energy. If you have a flute with the symbol facing out, it is designed for healing others but if yours is facing in, it is designed to heal the person playing it."

"So, how powerful is it?" asked a girl at the end of the table, "I mean, if you get your hand cut off, will this make it grow back." Everyone laughed, including Cheyenne.

"Well, it's effectiveness depends on how well it was made and how powerful the witch or wizard is, but if you cut your hand off, I would probably go with something more drastic."

The students began experimenting with the flutes. Draco wasn't too sure about the healing power of a flute, but even he thought they were kind of neat. After a while, Mariana said, "Friends, it's time for you to leave." The juniors began to wrap up the flute again and get up.

"Where should we put these, Mariana?" one boy asked.

"You may keep them," was the answer, "Ramon made one for each of you as a gift."

"Awesome!" Glasses exclaimed.

"Thank you, Ramon!" the students all said together and Ramon bowed.


	10. Meetings

Draco sat on the stoop of the cabin, playing the flute Ramon had given him. The sun was going down on a rather stressful day for him. It was now his fifth week staying in the camp with Jay and Glasses and he had yet to hear from Snape or Whitewolf. He had, on the other hand, received several newspaper articles describing Deatheater attacks and raids with massively high death counts, but no names. His new friends were doing their best to help keep his mind off of home and he was having a lot of fun with them, but it was getting harder and harder. He had started playing the flute one evening when he was bored and he'd found the more he played it, the more he liked it. It seemed to help him relax and stop worrying about everything.

He'd been sitting there for a while when he noticed two figures approaching.

"Hey, someone's coming," Draco called into the cabin. Glasses stuck his head out the screen door.

"Hey, it's Raven and Mr. Young!" he shouted. Draco could hear Jay leap to his feet and run to the door. The three of them watched the two wizards approach.

"Who are they?" Draco asked.

"Mr. Young used to be our potions teacher when we were in the 10th grade. He's the black guy. The other guy is Raven, he's Jay's studio teacher."

"Least I hope he still is," Jay added. Draco looked at the two teachers. Mr. Young was a fairly young-looking man. He had a conservative haircut and khaki shorts and a polo shirt that looked like they might have been iron. Raven was older, with jet-black hair and heavy eyelids. His clothes were mostly covered by a colorful poncho with an eagle woven in the front.

"Hey," said Glasses once they close enough to hear.

"Hello, Randy, Blue Jay," Mr. Young replied seriously. Draco chortled at Jay's real name and Jay kicked him in the shoulder.

"This here is our friend, Draco," he told them.

"Nice to meet you, Draco," Mr. Young greeted formally and he stuck out his hand. Draco rose to shake his hand. Raven stood back and nodded his recognition.

"We just came by to remind you all that you have hopping duty in the dining hall this week." Jay groaned loudly and Raven gave him a stern look.

"Yes sir," Jay said, correcting himself. Draco was not at all happy at the news.

"Well, have a good night, gentlemen," Mr. Young said. Glasses and Jay turned to go back inside.

"Not so fast, Blue Jay," Raven said. He had a strange voice. It was calming, kindly, but commanding at the same time. "I think it best you and I go for a walk before sunset. There are some things we need to discuss." Jay seemed suddenly interested in a line of ants crawling through the dust.

"Yes sir," he said, and he headed down the steps. Draco watched them walk together down the dirt path for a moment before he went back inside. He sat down at the table where Jay and Glasses had been playing wizard's chess. Several of the remaining pieces were tapping their feet impatiently and some of them had even laid down and gone to sleep.

"You wanna take Jay-Jay's side?" Glasses asked.

"Sure, Randy," Draco kidded. Glasses picked up a well-beaten knight.

"I will throw this at you!"

It was well after dark when Jay returned from his walk with Raven. He looked so miserable that Draco didn't even feel like joking him about his real name.

"So, what happened?" Glasses asked and Jay sat down.

"Well, suffice it to say, I'm not my teacher's favorite person right now."

"Did he find out about you blowing off Dutton the last night?" Glasses asked eagerly.

"Yep," Jay replied, "He asked me if I wanted out of the coven."

"What?!" Glasses shrieked, "What did you say?"

"I told him 'no' of course. Then he said, if he can't trust me to make the right decisions in the simplest cases, how can he trust me with something really difficult? He told me that if I had been a senior this year, he would not have recommended me for graduation."

"Man! But, he is letting you try another year, right? He didn't throw you out, did he?"

"Yeah, I'm still in."

"Whew!" Glasses breathed in relief, "I don't know what I'd do without you, man!"

"Good, cause the way it's looking, I might have to move in with you!"

The next night was scheduled to be another big bon fire. This time however, it was a dance and meant to be for upperclassmen only. It was also going to be held in "the grand ballroom" which was really an enormous cavern in the cave system under the camp. Draco was looking forward to spending the evening in the nice, cool cave dancing with a pretty girl. Jay and Glasses were amazed at how easily Draco had secured a date for the evening, seeing that he didn't really know anyone. After the fourth girl approached him, Jay just shook his head, laughing, and said, "It is an advantage, to have a sexy accent. The girls are crazy over it!" In the end, all three had dates and they well looking forward to having a good time. The only obstacle, a million dirty dishes with their names on them. The hopper duty kept them nearly an hour and a half past the end of dinner so by the time they were done, they had to run home to get changed.

"How'd we get stuck with hopper duty tonight?" Jay gasped as they raced up the foot path.

"And of course, we had to have macaroni and rubber for dinner. That stuff would not come off! I had to scour it three times."

"At Hogwarts, I never had to do anything like that!" Draco whined, "That's what house elves are for!"

Once inside, they rushed around trying to get cleaned up and dressed. Jay and Glasses each had on slacks and collared shirts. Glasses had even managed to find a tie to wear. Draco opened his backpack to find a navy blue, satin dress robe with silver embroidery around the sleeves. He tried it on and found it to his liking, once he used a de-wrinkling charm a couple times.

"What is that?" Glasses exclaimed, "You're wearing a dress to the party?"

"It's a robe, thank you, and for your information, it's what wizards and supposed to wear!" With that, he headed down the ladder.

"You can say it in French if you want, but it's still a dress," Glasses called after him. Jay came out of the bathroom and frowned at Draco.

"Dude, there are very specific times in a man's life that wearing a getup like that is appropriate. As I understand it, there will be no one graduating, getting confirmed, or singing in a choir tonight."

"This is all I have to wear," Draco countered. Jay sighed.

"You're lucky I like you, man."

The bon fire went very well. The cave was cool and comfortable and well-decorated for the event. Many of the girls went around oohing and aahing at the different formations which were illuminated by colored lights. Draco was not the only one wearing a robe and though he did get a few strange looks; his date didn't seem to mind at all. The three of them were returning home after walking the girls to their campsite. They were a little tired, but in high spirits. Suddenly, Mariana stood before them in the middle of the path. Draco was suddenly excited, "Has Whitewolf returned?" he asked. She smiled at him.

"Not yet, but he is on the way. The elders will being arriving tomorrow morning. The first party arrived tonight and your teacher was with them."

"Snape's here? Can I talk to him?"

"Not tonight. He is resting. But there is someone else who is very anxious to see you." Draco was puzzled.

"Who is it?" He asked. She offered him her hand, which he took, and instantly they were whizzing through the trees. A moment later, Mariana had him at the meadow at Morning Star. In the near corner, was a pavilion where a slight figure sat waiting.

"Mother!" Draco cried joyfully. His mother made sort of a happy squeaking sound as she run up to him and embraced him.

"Oh, you're safe!" she exclaimed, "I've been so worried! Look at you, you're all brown!" Draco laughed sheepishly, "Yeah, I've been spending loads of time outside." She took his shoulder smiling and sat down with him. They talked for a long time about what had been happening. Draco felt a pang in his chest as his mother informed him that his Aunt had been killed.

"She was never really the same," she told him sadly, "Not since she took the dark mark, and even more so once she escaped from Azkaban. I've often thought that it was the dark mark that drove her mad." Draco felt a great deal of sorrow well up inside him. He and his mother sat there together for a long time.


	11. Whitewolf

It was already day break when Draco returned to the cabin.

"Well there you are!" Glasses exclaimed when he saw him, "Ain't you nice? Just drop us right along the roadside without as much as a 'see you later, guys'!"

"It's not as if I had a whole lot of time for a tearful farewell," Draco retorted.

"And what was so important that you felt the need to depart so unceremoniously?"

"My mum's here. And Professor Snape," Draco explained. Glasses studied him for a moment.

"What does that mean?" he asked carefully.

"Well, I guess it means that I'll be going home soon."

"Why?" Glasses asked coldly.

"Why?" Draco repeated.

"Why do you even want to go? You could stay here. You could go to school with us next year. It would be great! And Raven's trying to find Jay a place to stay- he's talking with him right now! Maybe he could find one for you too. Maybe some place together." Draco didn't know what to say. He was so pleased that Glasses wanted him to stay and he didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Look, you guys are great and don't think I haven't considered staying. I've been arguing with my mum about it for most of the night. But this isn't my home and I have to go back. I can't just leave and let the Dark Lord take over everything. I have to fight. Don't you see?"

"Yeah, I guess so. But, I mean, what can you do?" he asked seriously. Draco thought for a moment.

"Loads of stuff! I've got lots of information. I can help convince the others not to join the dark side. I don't even know yet, but I sure can't do anything if I'm not there!"

"You can't do anything if you're dead either," Glasses pointed out.

"Well that's just a chance I'll have to take. I wasn't born yet during the first war. If I'd known it would be like this… I mean, I actually helped them! When I think of what I almost did…And loads of people who haven't done anything wrong are risking there lives. How can I just sit here?" Glasses sighed and sat down beside him.

By and by, Jay came walking up the steps.

"What's wrong?" Jay asked.

"Draco's leaving," Glasses said simply.

"When?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Draco told him, "But soon. My mother and teacher are here." Jay looked at them both and then broke into a huge smile.

"Well isn't that a coincidence?" he said, "Because Raven thinks I should go with you." Draco and Glasses looked at each other.

"What!?" they shouted together.

"For an independent study in selflessness and courage."

"I didn't think teachers could give you assignments that could get you killed!" Draco exclaimed, "Hope nobody tells Professor Snape. There won't be any Hufflepuffs left!" Jay and Glasses stared at him. Glasses said, "Well if he's going, I'm going." right as Jay said, "What in the world is a Hufflepuff?"

"Right, and how's that going to work, with your overprotective mum?" Draco asked Glasses, "Dear Mum, I'm going to England to fight dark wizards. Love you, Randy?"

"More like, Dear Mama, I've taken a position as a foreign exchange student. I'll write you once I get there. Love, your son."

"You think she'll buy that?" Jay asked uncertainly.

"and if she doesn't?" Glasses asked. Jay developed a sinister grin.

"So that's that," he said, "We're all going!"

The day came and went without Draco hearing any word. Jay and Glasses could speak of nothing but the upcoming trip. Draco didn't say anything to them about it. As happy as he was that they wanted to go with him, he didn't really expect it to work out.

Dinner that night was a nightmare. The menu was a Mexican fiesta, which involved dozens of dishes for each table. The boys were so busy carrying plates out of the kitchen they barely had time to each themselves. By the time they'd finished cleaning all the dishes the sun was beginning to set.

As they were crossing the field from the dining hall to the road, Draco noticed dozens of lights coming from the direction of Morning Star.

"Hey, look at that," Draco exclaimed.

"Look's like Whitewolf has come back," observed Jay.

"Good!" said Draco sarcastically, "Maybe now he can work me into his schedule."

That night, Draco couldn't sleep. There were so many questions in his mind, his thoughts raced from one worry to another without rest. He rose quietly and took the medicine flute from under his bed. He climbed down the ladder and made his way down the path. There was a place along the creek where a fallen tree stretched out into the water. Draco climbed out on the tree trunk and sat with his feet dangling in the water to play the flute. As he played, he felt calmer and his mind became clear.

Suddenly, he felt a presence beside him. Draco looked up to find an elderly man sitting beside him on the log. He wore a woven tunic with the image of a wolf and a star on it.

"You getting very good with that flute, Draco," he praised in a calm voice.

"Are you Whitewolf?" Draco asked.

"I am."

"I've been waiting for you."

"I know. I'm sorry you've have to wait so long. I know it has been hard for you."

"Mariana said you had a meeting and decisions to make."

"That is true." Draco paused. He didn't want to seem like he was getting into Whitewolf's business.

"Do the decisions have to do with what's going on in England," he asked cautiously.

"As a matter of fact, they do," Whitewolf replied.

"Can you tell me what you've decided?" Draco pleaded.

"I'm afraid we haven't yet," was the response.

"Can you help us?" Draco asked him, "Or don't you want to get involved?"

"That's just it, Draco. We aren't sure what we can do."

"You can help us fight the Dark Lord. As powerful as you are, surely you can help us stop him!" Draco was shouting now but Whitewolf didn't seem to be angry.

"But what you must understand is, the Dark Lord is not the problem…"

"What!?" Draco cried in outrage, "Of course…"

"Stop, Draco," Whitewolf commanded. Draco obeyed, though his lips were trembling.

"Your coven is broken. It has been for centuries. From generation to generation, the children in your country have been purposefully and systematically divided against each other. You have seen this yourself, many times. Have you not?" Draco nodded, but he couldn't look at him.

"As long as this division and hated exists, there will always be a war and there will always be injustice. So you can see, there doesn't seem to be much to fight for." Draco looked up.

"But, sir, we can't just give up! This is my home! No one wants it to be this way. It's just that no one knows how to fix it. Like you said, it's been this way forever. There has to be something we can do. Lots of people are still trying. Maybe they will fail, but how can we not fail if we don't try?"

"You ask a great deal of us, Draco Malfoy," Whitewolf whispered to him, "But the cause is worth the effort."

"Then you'll help us fight?" Draco asked.

"We will try. You must go back now and I must go and speak with my coven."

"Yes sir," Draco responded.

"We will leave tomorrow evening, after the bon fire," he declared and rose from the trunk.

"Wait!" Draco shouted, "What about Professor Snape?" But Whitewolf had already gone.


	12. Departing

Draco told his friends what Whitewolf has said the next morning.

"So, we're leaving tonight?" Jay asked. Draco was startled by this.

"You're really coming?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course!" he exclaimed and Glasses nodded earnestly.

"But, you guys, it's going to be…" he stopped, "Are you sure you really want to come? I mean, I told you…"

"We can take it," Glasses assured him.

"Yeah, we've got your back!" Draco wasn't at all convinced, but he was grateful for his friend's support.

There was an air of sadness with them as they walked down the footpath for the last time. The day was cool for once and there was a great breeze. As they approached the circle, they could see kids playing a makeshift, full-tackle game of quidditch. Other kids were running around, shooting at each other with water charms. Draco and his friends set up their blanket on a spot near the bon fire where two guys were playing guitars. Several girls were doing some sort of dance in a circle nearby.

"You know," Draco said, "This is a nice place."

"It sure is," Glasses agreed.

"I used to feel like this at my school," said Draco sadly, "It'd be nice if it could be like that again."

"It will be," Jay assured him, "That's what we're fighting for." The three of them watched the festivities without speaking. Suddenly, Draco broke the silence.

"I'm glad you guys are coming," he admitted, "because I'm really scared."

"Dude, I think that's a reasonable reaction," Glasses informed him.

"I still have no idea what to do about Snape," he continued, "We'll have to proceed with caution until we know for sure."

The sun began to set and the fire began to die down. Draco noticed Cheyenne and Ramon, setting up their instruments.

"Just a second, guys," he told the others and he went over to where Ramon was standing.

"I wanted to thank you for the flute," he told him.

"Ah, Draco. Did flute help?"

"Yes, it really did."

"Then this is for you," he said and he handed Draco a roll of woven fabric. Draco unwrapped it to reveal a handsome flute decorated with red paint and blue feathers and stones. Near the bottom was the figure of the Thunderbird, carved beautifully into the wood."

"Another?" Draco asked.

"Si. This one, bird not upside down," he explained.

"It faces out." Draco said, realizing.

"Now you heal others as well."

"Thank you, Ramon," Draco said genuinely.

"An honor, for me to give. Try to be courageous, Draco."

Draco took the flute back to his friends and sat down. The crowd quieted down and the music began. Soon everyone was singing, even Draco.

_Bright morning stars are rising,_

_Bright morning stars are rising,_

_Bright morning stars are rising,_

_Day is a-breaking in my soul._

Through the smoke, Draco could see Whitewolf standing with several members of the coven. He gestured for Draco and his friends to join them.

"Come on, guys," Jay said, "It's time for us to go." As they processed through the darkness, the future before them and the stars above, Draco could hear the others singing together in the distance and he felt a measure of hope rising within him.

_Bright morning stars are rising,_

_Bright morning stars are rising,_

_Bright morning stars are rising,_

_Day is a-breaking in my soul._

_Oh, where are our mothers?_

_Oh, where are our fathers?_

_Oh, where are our mothers?_

_Day is a-breaking in my soul._

_Oh, where are our sisters?_

_Oh, where are our brothers?_

_Oh, where are our sisters?_

_Day is a-breaking in my soul._

_Some are hear among us praying,_

_Some have gone to heaven shouting,_

_We are here together singing,_

_Day is a-breaking in my soul!_

_Bright morning stars are rising,_

_Day is a-breaking in my soul!_


End file.
